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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045373">The First Rule</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexStone/pseuds/AlexStone'>AlexStone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tolkientober [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bag End, Gen, Parenthood, Single Parents, Tolkientober, Young Frodo Baggins, bagginshield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:55:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,138</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045373</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexStone/pseuds/AlexStone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo has some difficulty raising Frodo. A familiar face helps out in an unexpected way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bilbo Baggins &amp; Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tolkientober [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The First Rule</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Day 16 of Tolkientober - 'Character as a Child.'</p><p>I'm very interested in how adult characters react to children, especially because it reveals a lot about who adults think they are. Eminent bachelor Bilbo suddenly having to handle recently traumatised Frodo is a dynamic I can see myself writing more of in the future.</p><p>I also recently watched the Haunting of Hill House, so Hugh/Liv's relationship is a big inspiration for this fic.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bilbo could tell something was wrong the moment he stepped into Bag End. One benefit of living alone for decades is a preternatural memory for how your furniture is arranged. As such, when Bilbo opened Bag End’s front door and saw his hat stand moved five inches to the right of where he left it, he knew that something was wrong.</p><p>Bilbo hung his coat and bags before easing his front door shut. His eyes darted left and right. Small changes began to emerge in Bag End like blushing cheeks. The upturned corner of a carpet. Muddy footprints on the wooden floor. A paperweight knocked over and returned to the wrong shelf. Bilbo followed the path of minor destructions as it led him deeper into his home, finding himself eventually in the study.</p><p>A wave of fear crested in Bilbo’s heart as he looked at his study. He crossed the floor in a beeline to an ornate chest of drawers. He knew he shouldn’t have left it here. He knew he shouldn’t have shown it to Frodo. He opened drawer after drawer, each one confirming the theft in his mind. The bag of runes, given to him by the dwarves in Erebor, was missing from his cabinet. Anger rose in Bilbo as he knew exactly who had done this.</p><p>“It’s not easy, is it?”</p><p>Bilbo rubbed turned to see at Thorin Oakenshield. The dwarven king was sat in Bilbo’s favourite reading chair. Thorin was wearing the same evening robe that he had worn on their last night in Erebor. It draped over his broad shoulders and and thick body with the casual assuredness of royalty. Bilbo felt his heart skip a beat as he remembered how beautiful Thorin was, every part of him a king.</p><p>“I didn’t say it was going to be easy,” Bilbo snapped, closing the drawers and attempting some composure.</p><p>“True, but you thought it,” Thorin leaned forward, and Bilbo felt a slight tremble in his knees as the robe loosened around Thorin’s shoulder, “I told you that looking after Fili and Kili was one of the hardest things I ever did.”</p><p>“Fili and Kili didn’t steal your things,” Bilbo smiled in full knowledge of how petty he was being, “I'm going to deal with this my way, thank you.”</p><p>Bilbo exited his study and frowned, looking up and down the corridors of Bag End. He was certain that he heard tiny footsteps running in a distant room. He approached the wash room gingerly and eased the door open. There was no one there, but Bilbo caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. He must have gotten dirt on his hands earlier, as a brown smudge was smeared across his cheek and ear.</p><p>Bilbo approached the sink and loosened his shirt. He felt the skin on his face tighten as he splashed cold water against it. Despite his age, Bilbo was proud of his good looks. He felt more tired than before, but he was still that same youthful hobbit he remembered in the mirror. Bilbo closed the bathroom mirror and swore as he saw Thorin behind him.</p><p>“Can you stop sneaking up on me?” he said, calming his racing nerves.</p><p>“Fili and Kili stole my things all the time,” Thorin said patiently, “Bilbo, the boy lost both of his parents in one night. He might never get over that.”</p><p>“I know,” Bilbo groaned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, “believe me, I know. I need you to trust me.”</p><p>Bilbo opened his eyes and Thorin was gone. “We’re not done with this!” Bilbo called into the hallway, before continuing to wash soap suds from his face. When he had freshened himself he wandered back into Bag End, lighting candles on his path. He entered his writing room and made a disapproving gesture at Thorin.</p><p>“Being a parent is hard work,” Thorin said, peering at the papers on Bilbo’s writing desk, “please tell me you aren’t trying to prove something by doing it alone.”</p><p>“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Bilbo said, indignation beginning to rise in his chest.</p><p>“Good. I believe you,” Thorin looked at Bilbo, an expression of sadness and love filling his face, “I also think you should ask for help. If not for yourself, then for Frodo.”</p><p>“If you think it is so important, why don’t you ask for help?” Bilbo snapped, immediately regretting his temper.</p><p>“Who are you talking to?”</p><p>Bilbo turned and saw Frodo stood opposite him. The young hobbit had a mop of dark hair that was beginning to curl over his eyes, eyes that even Bilbo could see were aged far beyond the horizons of childhood. Bilbo turned to Thorin and saw nothing but his writing desk and an open window looking out over Hobbiton and the setting sun. Bilbo rubbed his temples and summoned all the grace he imagined could exist in the world.</p><p>“I’m talking to myself,” Bilbo approached Frodo, trying to appear as parental as he could, “all adults do it. You should try it sometime.”</p><p>Frodo looked up at his uncle with a disapproving frown. “You’re weird,” he said, precocious in a manner that Bilbo knew far too well. </p><p>“I know I am," Bilbo said, hands on his hips, “I’m positively queer.”</p><p>“Lobelia said you’re weird and I shouldn’t listen to you,” Frodo smirked.</p><p>“Lobelia wants the best for you,” Bilbo struggled with every instinct to badmouth his relative. He crouched and placed his hand on Frodo’s shoulder, “we all want that, Frodo. Part of that means you get to live with me. When you live with me, you follow my rules.”</p><p>Bilbo lifted his hand, revealing the bag of runes that had been in Frodo’s pocket. “The first rule,” Bilbo felt delight at the dawning surprise on Frodo’s face, “no one steals from Bilbo Baggins.”</p><p>“I didn’t… How did you…” Frodo stammered, looking from the bag to Bilbo, and back to the bag.</p><p>“I’ll show you after dinner,” Bilbo winked and pocketed the runes, before standing and walking towards the kitchen, “please tell Merry and Pippin that they can stop hiding under my writing desk.”</p><p>Bilbo chuckled to himself as he heard two shrill hobbit voices yell in horror. He entered the kitchen and began to make preparations for dinner. As he chopped mushrooms and boiled water, Thorin reached out and held Bilbo’s hand. Bilbo paused, and turned from dinner to pen a short letter to Esmeralda Brandybuck.</p><p>
  <em>Dearest E.,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Realise I haven’t written in a while. Terribly sorry. Would love to spend some time with you this weekend. I think Frodo would appreciate it too.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Speak soon,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>B.B.</em>
</p><p>“You’ve got this,” Thorin whispered. Bilbo returned to the soup and held his king’s hand, a silent exchange occurring between two souls knitted closer than stones under mountains.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on twitter at @AlexStoneWriter! Comments are greatly appreciated.</p><p>You can find the full list of Tolkientober prompts here: https://twitter.com/hobbitgay/status/1311350783238045696</p></blockquote></div></div>
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